i set fire to the rain
by randomgirl1200
Summary: Quinn Fabray only ever lets herself cry when it's raining. That way people can't tell her tears from the rain./Quinn character study/one-shot


i set fire to the rain

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Quinn Fabray only ever lets herself cry when it's raining. That way people can't tell her tears from the rain.

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Quinn is bawling when she is born, not being used to the bright lights of the hospital room and the sensations of being in this strange new world.

Outside, the green trees, the budding flowers and the chirping birds are experiencing the first spring shower of the year.

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As a baby, she is not a crier, something her parents are immensely grateful for.

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The next time she remembers crying, she is already five. There is a storm outside and the thunder is loud, but not as loud as her parents' shouting match downstairs.

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Her older sister Frannie has always been her best friend and sole confidant, but as an observant ten year old, she can tell that Frannie is upset with her for some reason.

Frannie is upset whenever their father introduces his beautiful youngest daughter to his colleagues. Frannie looks unhappy whenever their mother asks her why she can't be more outstanding like Quinn and she never claps when Quinn wins yet _another_ ballet trophy.

When Quinn confronts her sister about it, Frannie yells, "Stop trying to act like you're perfect! You're not! Nobody is!"

Quinn feels a lump in her throat. She doesn't know if she's perfect or not, but she sure as hell tries to be.

Seeing Quinn's look of utter devastation, Frannie's expression softens and she pulls her into a crushing hug. "I'm so sorry Quinnie. I didn't mean that. You're perfect."

Tasting her sister's salty tears, water pools in Quinn's eyes, but she holds them in because perfect girls can't cry.

Besides, it isn't raining.

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But rain can't hide the tears pouring down her beautiful face and rolling down her (now ironic) cross necklace, dripping to her perfectly pressed and ironed cheerleading uniform as she runs to her car with the knowledge that she has been knocked up by a boy that isn't her boyfriend.

And thunder won't drown out her sobs and howls when her parents kick them out of their hourse.

But the lights in the humble Hudson household put emphasis on her gentle smile as Carole Hudson brings her blankets and Finn kisses away her tears.

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She's invisible, she tells Mr. Schuester. She exists but she's not really there. People see right through her, people walk right past her.

One day, she just lets loose and cries. Nobody would notice, nobody would even _care_.

But she remembers who she is. (Quinn _fucking_ Fabray) They can take away the cheerleading uniform, the quarterback boyfriend and the overbearing parents but they can't take away the attitude.

She runs to the window.

She is relieved to find that it is raining.

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In her junior year, she tells Jacob Ben Israel that there'll be a lot less crying. She blames previous tears on pregnancy hormones.

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She keeps true to her word, not crying when Sam dumps her, or even when she doesn't achieve her childhood dream and win Prom Queen.

It's not worth it to ruin her perfect mascara.

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But finally she breaks down in the middle of the summer. Finn is back with Rachel, Sam's moving away and Shelby Corcoran is moving back to Lima bringing baby Beth, her daughter, the baby girl that should be _hers_.

She stares at her reflection on the glass windows of the stores across the street. The nose ring, the pink hair, the tattoos and everything else that makes up the new identity Quinn has created for herself.

When she looks at her reflection, why can't she recognize the girl blinking back at her?

She feels a tear roll down her cheek.

Or maybe it's just the rain?

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author's notes

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I haven't really written any fanfiction for quite some time, so I think my writing style has changed a bit. I've never done a character study before and it makes sense that I'd do it on Quinn, since she's pretty much my favorite female character right now. This is quite unlike anything I've done before, so some feedback to tell me how I'm doing would be AWESOME.

p.s. I disclaim. :(

p.p.s. The song title is from Adele's song Set Fire to the Rain.


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